


Fairy Tale Ending

by Liviania



Category: In Other Lands - Sarah Rees Brennan, The Turn of the Story - Sarah Rees Brennan, Wings in the Morning - Sarah Rees Brennan
Genre: M/M, Wedding Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 12:11:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13053735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liviania/pseuds/Liviania
Summary: Elliot and Luke's wedding involves compromise and frolicking woodland creatures. The usual.





	Fairy Tale Ending

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChristyCorr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChristyCorr/gifts).



The sun rose over the meadow, revealing a storybook perfect day. The wildflowers were blooming, the songbirds were singing, and Elliot swore he saw a deer and rabbit frolicking together at the edge of the forest. It was disgustingly perfect.

It was, of course, Luke's wedding day. It might have been Elliot's wedding day to due to the nature of their relationship, but he had no doubt that the universe provided this glorious morning for Luke rather than him.

This doubt was proven correct when Serene strode up to him and announced that she was there to give him sex advice. Actually, what she said was, "I know that you have never guarded your masculine virtue, but my sword sister has always had more of a modest nature. I am aware that Luke is not going to your wedding bed a virgin"—her disapproval of Elliot's tartful seduction was obvious—"but this is still a momentous occasion for him. I must ask you to be gentle with his delicate feelings and shepherd him tenderly within your embrace. I borrowed some of Golden's romances that might help guide you. You don't want to be too ambitious on the wedding night, but instead be considerate of Luke's delicate feelings."

"Thanks," said Elliot, taking the books she offered. Serene was ever wonderful, but he couldn't help feeling a bit offended she thought he needed marital advice. Nothing practical was changing between him and Luke. This would simply make it easier to ensure that Elliot was the diplomat attached to Luke's missions. Serene had the sword sister bond to keep her from being left behind. She'd never had to scramble to blackmail anyway to prevent Luke from going off on his own with a battalion and getting himself killed.

"You're welcome, dear Elliot," Serene said. Suddenly, she pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm so happy. Finally, you're making my sword sister an honest man." She sounded as if she might cry, which strangely made Elliot want to cry. He wasn't usually so easily swayed by displays of emotion.

After a long embrace, she left him, saying that she had to go counsel Luke as well. Elliot wished he could be there to see Luke turn bright red in embarrassment at Serene's frankness, but he'd been forbidden from seeing Luke before the wedding now that the final preparations had started. He might cross some people, but he respected Rachel Sunborn and her loving, formidable arms.

* * *

If you'd asked Elliot a year ago, he wouldn't have had an opinion on weddings. He'd come to the otherworld too young to have attended any personally, and he'd never been invited to any since. What he had was memories of dramatic objections to weddings in movies and a vague knowledge that Jewish weddings were different.

When they started planning, it quickly became clear that Border weddings were different too, and that harpy weddings were even more different still.

As much as he loved researching culture, weddings had apparently been one of his blind spots. Marriages, of course, were important to making alliances, but he'd overlooked the weddings themselves.

He rectified that immediately, and wished he could purge all knowledge of troll weddings from his mind.

He'd wanted to involve some traditions from his home. Strangely, Elliot hadn't even meant to find a compromise when he asked whether Rachel or Calaeno would walk Luke down the aisle. Rachel was a closer relative, but Calaeno's rank was higher. He'd assumed that tradition would've spread some, and of course it would be Luke since he had someone to give him away. After a discussion of what he'd meant, it had been decided that Rachel and Calaeno would both walk Luke down the aisle to Elliot. Neither would give Luke away. All of them had scoffed at that bit as being ridiculous.

(Well, all except Calaeno, with whom they hadn't even suggested it. Luke's ties to the harpies were too important to the peace.)

"Ridiculous! He'll always be a Sunborn," Rachel had declared. "And of course, you'll be a Sunborn too, my boy," she said, cradling Elliot to her bosom.

That was a second thing he'd overlooked. Of course he'd be expected to take the Sunborn name. Anyone else would jump at the chance to become one of the glorious Sunborns, the original warriors and soldier and all-around ridiculously perfect family.

It wasn't that he didn't love Luke's mother and father and sister.

And it wasn't like Schafer came with a family. It was the name of a father and mother who were utterly uninterested in him and his life. He hadn't bothered to send either of them an invitation, although he'd started writing them a few times. His mother would know anyway, through camp gossip.

But Elliot did not want to be a Sunborn.

* * *

As the day was perfect, the wedding proceeded apace. Elliot stood under a bower of roses that clashed horribly with his hair. He'd done his best to tame it, but there was only so much a mortal brush could do. He wore a tunic of sapphire velvet and his finest hose, and only felt a little bit like Peter Pan. Golden had helped him pick out his wedding trousseau after Elliot had asked Serene. He'd never seen her look so dumbstruck or run so fast from a challenge. Or run from a challenge at all.

Luke entered looking more like a prince from a fairy tale than ever. His leathers were new, and cut very nicely to show off his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His wings rose proudly behind him, white-gold feathers gleaming. They were the only suitable backdrop for his magnificent blond mane. He'd probably woken up like that. But what really made him glow was the giant, dopey smile that seemed permanently fixed in place. Elliot, to his dismay, could feel a similarly ridiculous grin in place on his own face. It should be a crime to feel this sappy.

Commander Woodsinger gave her official permission for Elliot and Luke to fraternize. Then Luke's aunt and his mother gave their blessings to the marriage, as Serene nodded in approval of the matriarchs having their say before the ceremony started in earnest.

In the end, their wedding was a simple thing. Elliot had been intrigued by many of the things he'd read, but Luke had stubbornly stuck to the most simple ritual. To cement their bond, they held their hands together and Serene wove a ribbon around their wrists in a figure eight. She tied the ribbon in a complicated knot that reminded Elliot of a snail and that was it.

They were Elliot and Luke Schafer-Sunborn. (The order had been quite the battle, but Elliot successfully argued that the Sunborn made more impact if it came last.)

Elliot planted a kiss on Luke's lips, to Serene's scandalized gasp. That was another tradition he decided to keep. And it was a good one.

Luke closed his wings around them, providing the privacy needed to deepen the kiss. Kissing Luke was always amazing, but Elliot felt like he was noticing anew how his lips felt, how he tasted, that little sound of longing he made when Elliot pulled away. It reminded him of their first kiss, except for the lack of a war.

"I love you," he whispered.

Luke opened his wings, and hand in hand they walked together, ready to dance the night away to the music played by some of Luke's musically talented cousins. The iPod Elliot had smuggled over for the occasion had exploded.

It had been very romantic, like the first day they met. In the end, it was the first day of every day after.

 


End file.
